CENTERVILLE — It's not just that the program endured seven consecutive losing seasons.
It's that the run of futility for the Mediapolis softball team began with a 54-game losing streak that spanned the course of four different seasons. Over five seasons, the Bullettes won by 19 of 105 games.
That was just three years ago. On Thursday, Mediapolis won its 17th game of this season pulling off a thrilling 1-0 win at 11th-ranked Centerville in the Class 3A, Region 8 quarterfinals.
"Our program was way down six years ago when we took over this thing. This is our second straight winning season. It's a testament to how good our girls are getting better and wanting to get really good," Mediapolis head softball coach Jeff Martin said. "It shows on the field. We've won a lot of close games like this."
The postseason road win for Mediapolis mirrored the success that Centerville had last season when the Redettes scored a pair of road wins in regional tournament play, including a regional semifinal win at No. 14 Atlantic. Like Mediapolis, Centerville has has to overcome tough seasons to find sustained success going from a three-win season in 2022 to 35 wins over the past two seasons, finishing up 17-7 this year with a top-15 statewide ranking.